US12215417B2

US12215417B2 - Substrate processing method and substrate processing device

Info

Publication number: US12215417B2
Application number: US17/701,341
Authority: US
Inventors: Satoshi TODA; Tetsuro Takahashi
Original assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
Current assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
Priority date: 2016-04-15
Filing date: 2022-03-22
Publication date: 2025-02-04
Also published as: KR20180122389A; KR102161369B1; TWI708861B; JP2017191897A; US20190153599A1; JP6667354B2; CN109075061B; CN109075061A; TW201804014A; WO2017179333A1; US20220213596A1

Abstract

A predetermined process is performed on two target substrates using a substrate processing device that includes two processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of the two target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the two processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for collectively exhausting the gases inside the two processing parts. A first mode is executed in which an HF gas and an NH3 gas are supplied to one of the two processing parts, and the HF gas is not supplied to the other of the two processing parts. Subsequently, a second mode is executed in which the HF gas and the NH3 gas are supplied to the two processing parts under the same gas conditions. In the first mode, a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the two processing parts.

Description

This is a Divisional Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/092,683, filed Oct. 10, 2018, an application filed as a national stage under 371 of Application No. PCT/JP2017/008590, filed Mar. 3, 2017 and claiming benefit from Japanese Application No. 2016-081682, filed Apr. 15, 2016, the content of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing device for processing a process on a target substrate.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor devices are manufactured by repeatedly performing various processes such as an etching process, a film-forming process and the like, on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) which is a target substrate.

As an apparatus for performing such a substrate process, a single wafer type processing apparatus for processing target substrates one by one has been conventionally widely used. However, such a processing apparatus is required to increase throughput, and a processing apparatus for performing the substrate process on two or more target substrates at a time while maintaining the platform of the single wafer type processing apparatus has also been used (see, e.g., Patent Document 1).

In the substrate processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a substrate mounting table on which a plurality of target substrates is mounted is installed inside a chamber. A plurality of process regions and a plurality of separation regions that separates the plurality of process regions from each other are alternately defined above the substrate mounting table along a circumferential direction of the substrate mounting table. In the substrate process, the substrate mounting table is rotated such that the plurality of target substrates pass through the regions in the order of “process region separation region process region separation region, . . . ”. In this way, the plurality of target substrates is processed under different gas conditions.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents

- Patent Document 1: Japanese laid-open publication No. 2010-080924

In the substrate processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to process the plurality of target substrates under the different gas conditions, exhaust mechanisms are separately installed for the process regions independently of each other. This increases the manufacturing costs of the substrate processing device.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides some embodiments of a substrate processing method and a substrate processing device, which are capable of performing a substrate process on a plurality of target substrates under different gas conditions with high precision using a common exhaust mechanism, when processing the plurality of target substrates by a plurality of processing parts.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere using a substrate processing device that includes a plurality of processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the plurality of processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner. The method includes: performing a first mode in which a first gas is supplied to a portion of the plurality of processing parts and a second gas different from the first gas is supplied to another portion of the plurality of processing parts, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust a processing gas in common from the plurality of processing parts; and subsequently, performing a second mode in which the first gas as the processing gas is supplied to all of the plurality of processing parts under the same gas conditions, while exhausting the processing gas from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism, wherein, in the first mode, a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.

In the first aspect, when performing the first mode, an amount of the second gas supplied to the another portion of the plurality of processing parts may be controlled so as to prevent the pressure difference from occurring between the portion of the plurality of processing parts and the another portion of the plurality of processing parts.

At least one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas that is not reactive with the plurality of target substrates may be used as the second gas. Further, when performing the first mode, in the portion of the plurality of processing parts, the substrate process using the first gas which is the processing gas for the plurality of target substrates may be performed; and in the another portion of the plurality of processing parts, the substrate process may not be performed by supplying the second gas as a supplement gas instead of supplying the first gas which is the processing gas for the plurality of target substrates.

In this case, the method may further include, prior to the performing the first mode, stabilizing pressures of the plurality of processing parts by regulating the pressures of the plurality of processing parts with a pressure regulating gas. When stabilizing the pressures, a flow rate of the pressure regulating gas may be set to a level at which the first gas used as the processing gas and the second gas used as the supplement gas are suppressed from backwardly diffusing between the plurality of processing parts, and a flow of the pressure regulating gas toward the common exhaust mechanism is formed, in the first mode of the substrate process. A portion of the gases supplied during the substrate process, which is not used for the substrate process, may be used as the pressure regulating gas, and the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas in the stabilizing pressures may be set to be larger than a flow rate of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process. The flow rate of the pressure regulating gas in the stabilizing pressures may be set to be three times or more the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process.

In some embodiments, a dilution gas for diluting the first gas may be used as the second gas.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere using a substrate processing device that includes a plurality of processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the plurality of processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner. The method includes: performing a first mode in which an HF gas and an NH₃gas as processing gases are supplied to a portion of the plurality of processing parts so as to perform an etching process, and instead of the HF gas, at least one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas which is not reactive with the plurality of target substrates is supplied to another portion of the plurality of processing parts so as not to perform the etching process, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust the processing gases in common from the plurality of processing parts; and subsequently, performing a second mode in which the HF gas and the NH₃gas as the processing gases are supplied to all of the plurality of processing parts so as to perform the etching process, while exhausting the processing gases from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism, wherein, in the first mode, the supply of the gases is performed to prevent a pressure difference from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.

In the second aspect, when performing the first mode, the HF gas and the NH₃gas as the processing gases and the inert gas may be supplied to the portion of the plurality of processing parts, and supplying the inert gas or the inert gas and the NH₃gas to the another portion of the plurality of processing parts. The inert gas may be used as a supplement gas for regulating pressures of the portion of the plurality of processing parts and the another portion of the plurality of processing parts.

In some embodiments, the method may further include, prior to the performing a first mode, stabilizing pressures of the plurality of processing parts by regulating the pressures of the plurality of processing parts with the inert gas or the inert gas and the NH₃gas as pressure regulating gases. When stabilizing the pressures, flow rates of the pressure regulating gases may be set to a level at which the processing gases and the inert gas are suppressed from backwardly diffusing between the plurality of processing parts, and a flow of the pressure regulating gases toward the common exhaust mechanism is formed, in the first mode of the substrate process. The flow rates of the pressure regulating gases in the stabilizing pressures may be set to be larger than flow rates of the pressure regulating gases used in the substrate process. The flow rates of the pressure regulating gases in the stabilizing pressures may be set to be three times or more the flow rates of the pressure regulating gases used in the substrate process.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing device for performing a predetermined process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere, including: a plurality of processing parts, each of which configured to perform a substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates; a gas supply mechanism configured to separately supply processing gases to the plurality of processing parts; a common exhaust mechanism configured to exhaust the processing gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner; and a controller configured to control the gas supply mechanism and the common exhaust mechanism to execute the substrate process on the plurality of target substrates in a sequence of first and second modes, wherein the first mode involves supplying a first gas to a portion of the plurality of processing parts and supplying a second gas different from the first gas to another portion of the plurality of processing parts, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust the processing gas in common from the plurality of processing parts, and the second mode involves supplying the first gas as the processing gases to all of the plurality of processing parts under the same gas conditions, while exhausting the processing gases from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism, wherein, in the first mode, the controller controls such that a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing device for performing a predetermined process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere, including: a plurality of processing parts, each of which configured to perform a substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates; a gas supply mechanism configured to separately supply processing gases to the plurality of processing parts; a common exhaust mechanism configured to exhaust the processing gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner; and a controller configured to control the gas supply mechanism and the common exhaust mechanism to execute the substrate process on the plurality of target substrates in a sequence of first and second modes, wherein the first mode involves supplying an HF gas and an NH₃gas as the processing gases to a portion of the plurality of processing parts so as to perform an etching process, and instead of the HF gas, supplying at least one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas which is not reactive with the plurality of target substrates to another portion of the plurality of processing parts so as not to perform the etching process, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust the processing gases in common from the plurality of processing parts; and the second mode involves supplying the HF gas and the NH₃gas as the processing gases to all of the plurality of processing parts so as to perform the etching process, while exhausting the processing gases from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism, wherein the controller controls in the first mode such that the supply of the gases is performed to prevent a pressure difference from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a storage medium storing a program that operates on a computer and controls a substrate processing device that includes a plurality of processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of a plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the plurality of processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner, wherein the program, when executed, causes the computer to control the substrate processing device so as to perform a substrate processing method. The method includes: performing a first mode in which a first gas is supplied to a portion of the plurality of processing parts and a second gas different from the first gas is supplied to another portion of the plurality of processing parts, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust a processing gas in common from the plurality of processing parts; and subsequently, performing a second mode in which the first gas as the processing gas is supplied to all of the plurality of processing parts under the same gas conditions, while exhausting the processing gas from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism, wherein, in the first mode, a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to perform a substrate process on a plurality of target substrates under different gas conditions with high precision using a common exhaust mechanism, when processing the plurality of target substrates by a plurality of processing parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating an example of a substrate processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration view illustrating a configuration example of a gas supply mechanism.

FIG. 3A is a sectional view for explaining a substrate processing operation in a common substrate processing mode by a COR processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a sectional view for explaining a substrate processing operation in an independent substrate processing mode by the COR processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a view schematically illustrating a substrate processing mode according to a reference example.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process sequence in the substrate processing device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a timing chart illustrating a specific gas flow when implementing an example of a sequence in the substrate processing device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 7 is a timing chart illustrating a specific gas flow when implementing another example of the sequence in the substrate processing device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the effect of the sequence of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is a view schematically illustrating an example of a chamber configuration of a substrate processing device.

FIG. 10 is a view schematically illustrating another example of the chamber configuration of the substrate processing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating an example of a substrate processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, a COR processing apparatus which performs a chemical oxide removal (COR) process (etching process) will be described as the substrate processing device.

A typical example of the COR process is a substrate process of supplying a gas including an HF gas and a gas including an NH₃gas onto an oxide film existing on a surface of a substrate such as a silicon wafer inside a chamber, thus removing the oxide film from the surface of the silicon wafer.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a COR processing apparatus 100 includes a hermetically sealed chamber 10. The chamber 10 is made of, for example, aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and includes a chamber main body 51 and a lid 52. The chamber main body 51 includes a lateral wall portion 51 a and a bottom portion 51 b. An upper portion of the chamber main body 51 is opened and closed by the lid 52. The lateral wall portion 51 a and the lid 52 are sealed by a seal member 51 c to secure the airtightness of the chamber 10.

Two processing

parts

11 a and 11 b for performing a substrate process on a plurality of target substrates are installed inside the chamber 10. The two

processing parts

11 a and 11 b include substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b, respectively. Wafers Wa and Wb as target substrates are mounted on the respective substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b in a horizontal posture.

Gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b for introducing a processing gas into the chamber 10 are installed above the substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b, respectively. The

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b are installed inward of the lid 52. The gas introduction member 12 a and the substrate placing table 61 a face each other, and the gas introduction member 12 b and the substrate placing table 61 b face each other. A cylindrical inner wall 71 a is installed so as to surround the gas introduction member 12 a and the substrate mounting table 61 a, and a cylindrical inner wall 71 b is installed so as to surround the gas introduction member 12 b and the substrate mounting table 61 b. The

inner walls

71 a and 71 b are installed to extend from the inner side of an upper wall of the lid 52 to the bottom portion 51 b of the chamber main body 51. Upper portions of the

inner walls

71 a and 71 b constitute lateral walls of the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b, respectively. A space between the gas introduction member 12 a and the substrate mounting table 61 a and a space between the gas introduction member 12 b and the substrate mounting table 61 b are substantially sealed by the

inner walls

71 a and 71 b, respectively. These spaces constitute process spaces S in which the wafers Wa and Wb are subjected to the substrate process, respectively.

A gas supply mechanism 14 for supplying a gas to each of the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b, an exhaust mechanism 15 for exhausting the interior of the chamber 10, and a control part 16 for controlling the COR processing apparatus 100 are installed outside the chamber 10. A loading/unloading port (not shown) through which the wafer W is loaded into and unloaded is formed in the lateral wall portion 51 a of the chamber main body 51. The loading/unloading port can be opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown). A loading/unloading port (not shown) is also formed in each of the inner walls 71 a and 72 b and can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown).

Each of the processing parts 1 a and 11 b has substantially a circular shape. Each of the substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b is supported by a base block 62. The base block 62 is fixed to the bottom portion 51 b of the chamber main body 51. A temperature regulator 63 for regulating a temperature of the wafer W is installed inside each of the substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b. The temperature regulator 63 is provided with a pipeline through which, for example, a temperature regulating medium (for example, water) circulates. By heat exchange with the temperature regulating medium flowing in the pipeline, the temperature of the wafer W is controlled. In addition, a plurality of lifting pins (not shown) used to transfer the wafer W are installed in the substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b so as to be moved upward and downward on a wafer mounting surface.

The gas supply mechanism 14 supplies a processing gas, such as an HF gas or an NH₃gas, and an inert gas (dilution gas), such as an Ar gas or a N₂gas, to the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b via the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b, respectively. The gas supply mechanism 14 includes gas supply sources, supply pipes, valves, flow rate controllers represented by mass flow controllers and so on, which correspond to the respective gases.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration view illustrating an example of a system configuration of the gas supply mechanism 14. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the gas supply mechanism 14 includes an Ar gas supply source 141, an HF gas supply source 142, an N₂

gas supply source

143 and an NH₃

gas supply source

144 as the gas supply sources.

In this example, the HF gas supplied from the HF gas supply source 142 is diluted with an Ar gas supplied from the Ar gas supply source 141 and then supplied to the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b. Likewise, the NH₃gas supplied from the NH₃

gas supply source

144 is also diluted with the N₂gas supplied from the N₂

gas supply source

143 and then supplied to the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b.

An HF gas supply pipe 145 through which the HF gas flows is branched into two HF

gas supply pipes

145 a and 145 b which are respectively connected to a supply pipe 146 a connected to the gas introduction member 12 a and a supply pipe 146 b connected to the gas introduction member 12 b. An Ar gas supply pipe 147 through which the Ar gas flows is branched into two Ar

gas supply pipes

147 a and 147 b which are respectively connected to the HF

gas supply pipes

145 a and 145 b. Thus, the HF gas can be diluted with the Ar gas.

Similarly, an NH₃

gas supply pipe

148 through which the NH₃gas flows is branched into two NH₃

gas supply pipes

148 a and 148 b which are respectively connected to the

supply pipes

146 a and 146 b. A N₂

gas supply pipe

149 through which the N₂gas flows is branched into two N₂

gas supply pipes

149 a and 149 b which are respectively connected to the NH₃

gas supply pipes

148 a and 148 b. Thus, the NH₃gas can be diluted with the N₂gas.

In addition to being used as dilution gases, the Ar gas and the N₂gas are also used as a purge gas or as a supplement gas for pressure regulation to be described later.

Mass flow controllers (MFCs) 150 a to 150 h and opening/closing valves 151 a to 151 h for opening/closing the respective supply pipes are respectively installed in the HF

gas supply pipes

145 a and 145 b, the Ar

gas supply pipes

147 a and 147 b, the NH₃

gas supply pipes

148 a and 148 b, and the N₂

gas supply pipes

149 a and 149 b. The MFCs 150 a to 150 h and the opening/closing valves 151 a to 151 h can be controlled by the control part 16 independently of each other.

For example, in the case of performing the normal COR process in the two

processing parts

11 a and 11 b, both the HF gas and the NH₃gas are supplied to each of the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b. In this case, the control part 16 controls all the opening/closing valves to be opened, as shown in the following “Case a”.

[Case a]

Supply System to Gas Introduction Member 12 a


	Opening/closing valve 151a (Ar)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151c (HF)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151e (N₂)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151g (NH₃)	Opened

Supply System to Gas Introduction Member 12 b


	Opening/closing valve 151b (Ar)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151d (HF)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151f (N₂)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151h (NH₃)	Opened

On the other hand, the opening/closing valves may be controlled such that conditions of gases to be supplied to the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b via the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b are different from each other. For example, the opening/closing valves may be controlled as shown in the following “Case b” and “Case c”.

[Case b]

Supply System to Gas Introduction Member 12 a

Supply System to Gas Introduction Member 12 b


	Opening/closing valve 151b (Ar)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151d (HF)	Closed
	Opening/closing valve 151f (N₂)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151h (NH₃)	Closed

[Case c]
Supply System to Gas Introduction Member 12 a


	Opening/closing valve 151a (Ar)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151c (HF)	Closed
	Opening/closing valve 151e (N₂)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151g (NH₃)	Closed

Supply System to Gas Introduction Member 12 b

That is to say, in Case b, from the state of Case a, the opening/closing valve 151 d and the opening/closing valve 151 h are closed to stop the supply of the HF gas and the NH₃gas as processing gases and supply only the Ar gas and the Na gas to the gas introduction member 12 b, and the HF gas and the NH₃gas as the processing gases continue to be supplied to the gas introduction member 12 a. Conversely, in Case c, the supply of the HF gas and the NH₃gas to the gas introduction member 12 a is stopped, and the HF gas and the NH₃gas as the processing gases continue to be supplied to the gas introduction member 12 b.

For this reason, in Case b, the HF gas and the NH₃gas are supplied from the gas introduction member 12 a to the processing part 11 a, together with the Ar gas and the Na gas which are inert gases, respectively, while only the Ar gas and the Na gas which are inert gases are supplied from the gas introduction member 12 b to the processing part 11 b. Conversely, in Case c, the HF gas and the NH₃gas are supplied from the gas introduction member 12 b to the processing part 11 b, together with the Ar gas and the Na gas which are inert gases, respectively, while only the Ar gas and the Na gas which are inert gases are supplied from the gas introduction member 12 a to the processing part 11 a. In this manner, during processing, it is possible to simultaneously supply the gases to the processing part 11 a and the processing part 11 b under different gas supply conditions. Substrate processing modes by the control of the valves will be described in detail later.

The

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b are provided to introduce the gases from the gas supply mechanism 14 into the chamber 10 and supply the gases to the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b. Each of the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b has a gas diffusion space 64 defined therein and has a cylindrical shape. Gas introduction holes 65 penetrating the upper wall of the chamber 10 are respectively formed in the upper surfaces of the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b. A large number of gas discharge holes 66 connected to each of the gas diffusion spaces 64 are respectively formed in the bottom surfaces of the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b. Gases such as the HF gas and the NH₃gas supplied from the gas supply mechanism 14 reach the gas diffusion spaces 64 via the gas introduction holes 65, diffuse inside the gas diffusion spaces 64, and are uniformly discharged from the gas discharge holes 66 in the form of a shower. That is to say, each of the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b functions as a gas dispersion head (shower head) that dispersedly discharges a gas. The

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b may be of a post-mix type in which the HF gas and the NH₃gas are discharged into the chamber 10 through different flow paths.

The exhaust mechanism 15 includes an exhaust pipe 101 connected to an exhaust port (not shown) formed in the bottom portion 51 b of the chamber 10. Further, the exhaust mechanism 15 includes an automatic pressure control valve (APC) 102 for controlling an internal pressure of the chamber 10 and a vacuum pump 103 for exhausting the interior of the chamber 10, which are installed in the exhaust pipe 101. The exhaust port is formed outside the

inner walls

71 a and 71 b. A number of slits are formed in portions of the

inner walls

71 a and 71 b below the substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b, respectively, so that the exhaust mechanism 15 can exhaust the interior of the chamber 10 from both the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b. Thus, the interiors of the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b are exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 15 at the same time. The APC 102 and the vacuum pump 103 are shared by both the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b.

In addition, in order to measure the internal pressure of the chamber 10, a high-pressure capacitance manometer 105 a and a low-pressure capacitance manometer 105 b, which are pressure gauges, are installed so as to be inserted into the exhaust spaces 68 from the bottom portion 51 b of the chamber 10, respectively. The opening degree of the automatic pressure control valve (APC) 102 is controlled based on a pressure detected by the

capacitance manometer

105 a or 105 b.

The control part 16 includes a process controller 161 provided with a microprocessor (computer) for controlling various components of the COR processing apparatus 100. A user interface 162 is connected to the process controller 161. The user interface 162 includes a keyboard or a touch panel display for allowing an operator to input commands to manage the COR processing apparatus 100, a display for visualizing and displaying the operation status of the COR processing apparatus 100, and the like. In addition, a storage part 163 is connected to the process controller 161. The storage part 163 stores a control program for realizing various processes executed in the COR processing apparatus 100 under the control of the process controller 161, processing recipes which are control programs for causing the various components of the COR processing apparatus 100 to execute their respective prescribed processes according to processing conditions, various databases and the like. The processing recipes are stored in an appropriate storage medium (not shown) in the storage part 163. Then, as necessary, any of the processing recipes is called from the storage part 163 and is executed by the process controller 161, so that a desired process is performed in the COR processing apparatus 100 under the control of the process controller 161.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control part 16 has a significant feature in that the MFCs 150 a to 150 h and the opening/closing valves 151 a to 151 h of the gas supply mechanism 14 are independently controlled as described above.

Next, a substrate processing operation performed by such a substrate processing device will be described. FIGS. 3A and 3B are sectional views for explaining a substrate processing operation performed by the COR processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment.

Two wafers Wa and Wb on each of which an etching target film (for example, SiO₂film) has been formed are respectively loaded into the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b inside the chamber 10, and are respectively mounted on the substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b. Then, a pressure stabilizing step of stabilizing the internal pressure of the chamber 10 by adjusting the internal pressure to a predetermined pressure by means of the exhaust mechanism 15 is performed, and subsequently, a substrate process step is performed. Since the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b share the exhaust mechanism 15, the pressure adjustment during the pressure stabilizing step and the substrate process step is performed by the common automatic pressure control valve (APC) 102.

The substrate process step is performed with a common substrate processing mode illustrated in FIG. 3A and an independent substrate processing mode illustrated in FIG. 3B.

(Common Substrate Processing Mode)

The common substrate processing mode is a mode in which the wafers Wa and Wb are processed under the same gas conditions. With this common substrate processing mode, a COR process is performed in both the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b. In this mode, the state of the opening/closing valves 151 a to 151 h corresponds to “Case a” described above. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the HF gas and the NH₃gas respectively diluted with the Ar gas and the N₂gas as inert gases are supplied from the

gas introduction members

12 a and 12 b onto the wafers Wa and Wb, whereby the same substrate process is performed on both the wafers Wa and Wb.

(Independent Substrate Processing Mode)

The independent substrate processing mode is a mode in which the wafers Wa and Wb are processed under different gas conditions. In this mode, the state of the opening/closing valves 151 a to 151 h corresponds to, for example, “Case b” described above. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, the HF gas and the NH₃gas respectively diluted with the Ar gas and the N₂gas are supplied from the gas introduction member 12 a onto the wafer Wa of the processing part 11 a, and only the Ar gas and the N₂gas are supplied from the gas introduction member 12 b onto the wafer Wb of the processing part 11 b, whereby different substrate processes are performed on the wafers Wa and Wb. That is to say, the processing of the wafer Wa by the HF gas and the NH₃gas is continued in the processing part 11 a, whereas the supply of the HF gas and the NH₃gas onto the wafer Wb is stopped in the processing part 11 b. At this time, only the HF gas may be stopped and the NH₃gas may be supplied to the processing part 11 b. An inert gas supplied from the gas introduction member 12 b may be one of the Ar gas and the N₂gas.

In the independent substrate processing mode, contrary to FIG. 3B, the processing of the wafer Wb by the HF gas and the NH₃gas may be performed in the processing part 11 b, whereas the supply of the HF gas and the NH₃gas onto the wafer Wa may be stopped in the processing part 11 a. In this case, the state of the opening/closing valves 151 a to 151 h corresponds to, for example, “Case c” described above. At this time, the supply of the HF gas to the processing part 11 a may be stopped, and the NH₃gas may be supplied to the processing part 11 a. An inert gas supplied from the gas introduction member 12 a may be one of the Ar gas and the N₂gas.

When it is desired to make a timing of the COR processing different between the processing part 11 a and the processing part 11 b, the independent substrate processing mode is a mode in which processing is performed in one processing part and no processing is performed in the other processing part.

When the independent substrate processing mode is applied in such a manner that the COR process is performed in the processing part 11 b and no COR process is performed in the processing part 11 b, it may be considered to stop the supply of a gas from the gas introduction member 12 b to the processing part 11 b, as a reference example illustrated in FIG. 4 . However, since the exhaust mechanism 15 is shared by both the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b and the pressure is controlled by the single APC, if the supply of a gas from the gas introduction member 12 b is stopped while continuing to supply the HF gas and the NH₃gas from the gas introduction member 12 a, a pressure difference occurs between the processing part 11 a and the processing part 11 b. Therefore, even when the process spaces S of the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b are substantially sealed, the gas from the gas introduction member 12 a flows backward through slits formed in the lower portions of the

inner walls

71 a and 71 b and flows into the processing portion 11 b. This makes it difficult to completely stop the processing of the wafer Wb by the HF gas and the NH₃gas in the processing part 11 b. For this reason, in the independent substrate processing mode, the Ar gas and the N₂gas are supplied from the gas introduction member 12 b, as illustrated in FIG. 3B. However, if the flow rates of the Ar gas and the N₂gas are equal to those in the processing part 11 a, the total flow rate decreases, which also generates a pressure difference to cause a backward flow. This makes it difficult to stop the processing completely. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the case where the processing is performed in the independent substrate processing mode, the gas supply mechanism 14 controls the flow rates of the Ar gas and the N₂gas from the gas introduction member 12 b so as to prevent a pressure difference from occurring between the processing part 11 a and the processing part 11 b.

For example, the control part 16 can control the gas supply mechanism so that the pressure of the processing part 11 a and the pressure of the processing part 11 b become equal to each other so as to prevent the pressure difference from occurring between the processing part 11 a and the processing part 11 b by closing the opening/closing

valves

151 d and 151 h to stop the supply of the HF gas and the NH₃gas to the gas introduction member 12 b and increasing the flow rates of the Ar gas and the N₂gas by means of the

MFCs

150 b and 150 f with the opening/closing

valves

151 b and 151 f opened. That is to say, the Ar gas and the N₂gas are used as supplement gases for pressure regulation. As described above, in the independent substrate processing mode, the NH₃gas may be supplied to the processing part 11 b which performs no processing, but in that case, only the Ar gas may be used as the supplement gas.

In this manner, for one of the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b, which is intended to stop the substrate process, the pressure regulation is performed by supplying an inert gas as a supplement gas for pressure regulation rather than simply stopping the supply of a processing gas. Thus, even when the exhaust of gases from both the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b by the single exhaust mechanism 15 is performed at the same time, it is possible to prevent the inflow of gas between the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b.

(One Example of Process Sequence)

In this example, as illustrated in a flow chart of FIG. 5 , after a pressure stabilizing step S1 for stabilizing a pressure, a substrate process step (COR process) S2 is performed in combination of the processing in the common substrate processing mode and the processing in the independent substrate processing mode, and then an exhausting step S3 for exhausting a process space is performed. In performing the substrate process step S2, the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1 is initially performed and subsequently the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2 is performed.

In the substrate process step S2, when the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2 is initially performed and the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1 is then performed, even if a processing gas to be supplied to a processing part in which the processing is paused is switched to a supplement gas, etching (COR process) may proceed due to a reaction product and a residual gas on the wafer when the processing is paused under high pressure conditions.

Therefore, in this example, when performing the substrate process step S2 followed by the pressure stabilizing step S1, the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1 is first performed and subsequently the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2 is performed. Thus, it is possible to eliminate the influence of a reaction product and a residual gas, thereby improving the control accuracy of the etching amount.

In the transition from the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1 to the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2, as described above, in the processing part 11 b, the HF gas and the NH₃gas as processing gases are introduced while the Ar gas and the N₂gas are being supplied, or the HF gas is introduced while the Ar gas, the N₂gas and the NH₃gas are being supplied. As such, an etching delay may occur when the flow rate of the Ar gas or the N₂gas is large. In such a case, a processing time may be adjusted in anticipation of the etching delay in advance.

As described above, the substrate process step S2 is ended by performing the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-2 followed by the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2. In some embodiments, after the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2, the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1 and the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2 may be repeated while performing a purging process between the process S2-1 and the process S2-2.

A specific gas flow control in this example will be described with reference to a timing chart of FIG. 6 . First, the opening/closing

valves

151 a, 151 b, 151 e, 151 f, 151 g and 151 h are opened so that the Ar gas, the N₂gas and the NH₃gas are supplied to the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b at the predetermined same flow rates to adjust internal pressures of the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b to a predetermined pressure, thereby stabilizing the internal pressures (in the pressure stabilizing step S1).

At the point of time when the pressure is stabilized, the substrate process is started (in the substrate process step S2). In the substrate process step S2, first, the opening/closing valve 151 c is opened to supply the HF gas to the processing part 11 a to start the COR process in the processing part 11 a, and then the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1 with no COR process is performed for a predetermined period of time without supplying the HF gas to the processing part 11 b. At this time, since the HF gas is not supplied to the processing part 11 b, the Ar gas of the processing part 11 b is increased in flow rate more than that of the processing part 11 a so that the processing part 11 b has the same internal pressure as the processing part 11 a. The Ar gas of the increased flow rate serves as a supplement gas. The increase in amount of the Ar gas (the flow rate of the supplement gas) may correspond to the amount of the HF gas supplied to the processing part 11 a.

After the predetermined period of time, the COR process is continued in the processing part 11 a while maintaining all the gases at the same flow rates, and the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2 with the COR process is performed in the processing part 11 b for a predetermined period of time by opening the opening/closing valve 151 d to supply the HF gas to the processing part 11 b. At this time, in the processing part 11 b, the flow rate of the Ar gas supplied in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1 is decreased so that the processing part 11 b has the same internal pressure as the processing part 11 a. In this case, the decrease in the amount of the Ar gas may correspond to the amount of the HF gas supplied to the processing part 11 b.

After the substrate process step S2 is completed, all the opening/closing valves are closed to stop the supply of the gases and the process spaces S are exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 15 (in the exhausting step S3).

In the example of FIG. 6 , the HF gas is not introduced into the processing part 11 b in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1, but the HF gas is introduced into the processing part 11 b in the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2. In some embodiments, the HF gas and the NH₃gas may not be introduced into the processing part 11 b in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1, but the HF gas and the NH₃gas may be introduced into the processing part 11 b when switching to the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2. In this case, in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1, the supplement gases to be supplied to the processing part 11 b may be the Ar gas and the N₂gas.

The result of confirming the effects of the method of this example will be described. Here, etching (COR process) was performed by the processing apparatus of FIG. 1 . First, a processing recipe for cyclically etching a CVD-SiO₂film in 6 sec×8 cycle was used to evaluate an etching result for a case (process A) where the etching was performed in the order of the common substrate processing mode→the independent substrate processing mode in each cycle and a case (process B) where the etching was performed in the order of the independent substrate processing mode→the common substrate processing mode in each cycle. As described above, the Ar gas, the HF gas, the N₂gas and the NH₃gas were supplied to both the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b to perform the COR process in the common substrate processing mode, and the COR process was performed in only the processing part 11 a in the independent substrate processing mode without supplying the HF gas to the processing part 11 b. That is to say, in the process A, the COR process was initially performed and subsequently the process was stopped in the processing part 11 b in each cycle, whereas, in the processing B, the COR process was performed after initially stopping the process for a predetermined period of time in the processing part 11 b in each cycle.

As a result, in the process A, the etching amount was +36.6% for the target, whereas, in the processing B, the etching amount was −10.4% for the target. From this fact, it was confirmed that the controllability of the etching amount is improved by initially performing the independent substrate processing mode-based process and then performing the common substrate processing mode-based process.

Next, a processing recipe for cyclically etching a thermal oxide film in 15 sec×5 cycle was used to evaluate an etching result for a case (process C) where the etching was performed in the order of the common substrate processing mode→the independent substrate processing mode in each cycle and a case (process D) where the etching was performed in the order of the independent substrate processing mode→the common substrate processing mode in each cycle.

As a result, in the process C, the etching amount was +12.7% for the target, whereas, in the process D, the etching amount was −5.0% for the target. Similarly in the thermal oxide film, from this fact, it was confirmed that the controllability of the etching amount is improved by initially performing the independent substrate processing mode-based process and then performing the common substrate processing mode-based process.

(Another Example of Process Sequence)

In the aforementioned example of the process sequence, in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1, the Ar gas and the N₂gas are increased to function as supplement gases in the processing part to which the processing gases (the HF gas and the NH₃gas) are not supplied, so that a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the processing part 11 a and the processing part 11 b. This prevents the inflow of the gases between the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b. However, since the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b are interconnected via the slits formed in the portions of the

inner walls

71 a and 71 b below the substrate mounting tables 61 a and 61 b, it is difficult to completely prevent a backward flow of the processing gases (the HF gas and the NH₃gas) from one processing part to the other processing part and completely prevent a backward flow of the supplement gases (the Ar gas and the N₂gas) from the other processing part to one processing part. Thus, a backward flow of tiny amounts of gases (gas backward diffusion) occurs. When the flow rates of the processing gases are equal to or higher than a certain level, such a backward flow of tiny amounts of gases does not greatly affect the etching amount, which makes it possible to realize a process with a desired etching amount in the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b. However, in the process of a low flow rate region, the influence of such a gas backward flow cannot be ignored and a deviation from a set etching amount becomes large, which may make it impossible to perform a desired process in the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b independently of each other.

On the other hand, if the flow rates of the processing gases (the HF gas and the NH₃gas) and the supplement gases (the Ar gas and the N₂gas) are increased in order to avoid such a problem, the etching rate increases and it is therefore necessary to adjust the etching amount with the processing time and the gas flow rate, which may result in a narrow process margin.

Therefore, in this example, during the pressure stabilizing step S1, a pressure regulating gas is flowed at a sufficient flow rate to prevent the processing gases and the supplement gases from backwardly diffusing between the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-2 of the subsequent substrate process step S2, and to form a flow of gas flowing from the

gas introducing members

12 a and 12 b to the exhaust mechanism 15. This effectively prevents the backward flow (backward diffusion) of gases in the low flow rate region in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-2 of the substrate process step S2.

Specifically, as illustrated in a timing chart of FIG. 7 , the Ar gas, the N₂gas and the NH₃gas are supplied as the pressure regulating gases to both the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b during the pressure stabilizing step S1. The flow rates of the Ar gas, the N₂gas and the NH₃gas are set to be larger than those in the substrate process step S2. In this case, the total flow rate of the pressure regulating gases may be three times or more as large as that in the substrate process step S2. As the pressure regulating gas, a portion of the gases supplied during the substrate process step S2, which does not cause substrate process, may be used. As in the example of FIG. 6 , as the pressure regulating gases, the Ar gas, the N₂gas and the NH₃gas may be used in the processing part 11 a, and the Ar gas and the N₂gas may be used in the processing part 11 b.

In this example, in the subsequent substrate process step S2, in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1, the flow rates of the Ar gas, the N₂gas and the NH₃gas are decreased until reaching a normal state, and the HF gas is supplied at a predetermined flow rate to perform the COR process in the processing part 11 a, whereas the flow rates of the N₂gas and the NH₃gas in the processing part 11 b are set to be equal to those in the processing part 11 a. The supply amount of the Ar gas is adjusted so as to include a supplement gas corresponding to the HF gas supplied to the processing part 11 a. In the subsequent common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2, the HF gas is also supplied to the processing part 11 b, the flow rate of the Ar gas supplied as a supplement gas is reduced by the supply amount of the HF gas. Thus, the COR process is performed in the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b under the same processing conditions. Thereafter, the supply of the gases is stopped and the exhausting step S3 is performed to exhaust the process spaces S by the exhaust mechanism 15.

Thus, in the low flow rate region, in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-2, it is possible to prevent the backward flow of the processing gases and the supplement gases more effectively than that in a case of only adjusting the pressure with the supplement gases. More specifically, even in the low flow rate region, it is possible to extremely effectively prevent the processing gases (the HF gas and the NH₃gas) from flowing backward from the processing part 11 a to the processing part 11 b intended to stop the process, and also prevent the supplement gases (the Ar gas and the N₂gas) from flowing backward from the processing part 11 b to the processing part 11 a intended to continue the process. It is therefore possible to perform the substrate process so that the etching amount is close to the etching amount set in both the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b.

In the example of FIG. 7 , the HF gas is not introduced into the processing part 11 b in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1, whereas the HF gas is introduced into the processing part 11 b in the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2. However, the HF gas and the NH₃gas may not be introduced into the processing part 11 b in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1. The HF gas and the NH₃gas may be introduced into the processing part 11 b when switching to the common substrate processing mode-based process S2-2. In this case, in the independent substrate processing mode-based process S2-1, the supplement gases supplied to the processing part 11 b may be the Ar gas and the N₂gas.

The effects achieved when the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas is actually increased in the pressure stabilizing step will be described with reference to FIG. 8 . Here, after performing the pressure stabilizing step using the apparatus of FIG. 1 , the COR process was initially performed in the processing part 11 a in the substrate process step. The HF gas was not supplied to the processing part 11 b, and the independent substrate processing mode-based process was performed to supplement an Ar gas as a supplement gas at a flow rate corresponding to the amount of the not-supplied HF gas. Therefore, the COR process was performed in both the processing parts in the common substrate processing mode. FIG. 8 is a view illustrating the total gas flow rate during the substrate process step and an etching amount deviation (a difference between the actual etching amount and the set etching amount) in the COR process in the processing part 11 a. In FIG. 8 , a black circle indicates an etching amount deviation when the flow rates of the pressure regulating gases (the Ar gas, the N₂gas and the NH₃gas) in the pressure stabilizing step are set to be equal to those in the substrate process step. The etching amount deviation tends to be large in a region where the total flow rate is low. The etching amount deviation is as large as about −0.33 nm at the total flow rate of 300 sccm. On the other hand, a black square indicates an etching amount deviation available when the flow rates of the pressure regulating gases are tripled. In this case, even when the total flow rate during the substrate process step is 300 sccm, the etching amount deviation is about −0.03 nm, which is very close to the set value. The effect of increasing the flow rates of the pressure regulating gases was confirmed from this fact.

As described above, when the COR process is performed on a SiO₂film formed on a wafer using the HF gas and the NH₃gas, ammonium fluorosilicate ((NH₄)₂SiF₆: AFS) is generated as a reaction product. Thus, the wafer processed in the COR processing apparatus 100 is heat-treated in a heat treating apparatus to decompose and remove the AFS.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in performing the COR process on the two wafers respectively in the processing part 11 a and the processing part 11 b, while the exhaust mechanism 15 is used in a collective manner, the process is initially performed in only one of the processing part 11 a and the processing part 11 b in the independent substrate processing mode, and subsequently, the COR process is performed in the processing parts in the common substrate processing mode under the same conditions. This improves the controllability of the etching amount.

Although the present disclosure has been described by way of an embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment but various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

While in the above embodiment, the HF gas and the NH₃gas have been described to be used to perform the COR process, the COR process may be performed with only the HF gas or the NH₃gas by the substrate processing device of FIG. 1 . For example, in a case in which an HF gas diluted with an Ar gas is supplied to perform the COR process, the opening/closing valves may be controlled as shown in the following Case d. Specifically, the independent substrate processing mode-based process may be performed using the HF gas only in the processing part 11 a. Subsequently, with the opening/closing

valves

151 e, 151 f, 151 g and 151 h closed, the opening/closing

valves

151 a, 151 b, 151 c and 151 d may be opened to supply the HF gas and the Ar gas to perform the common substrate processing mode-based process.

[Cased]

Supply System to Gas Introduction Member 12 a


	Opening/closing valve 151a (Ar)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151c (HF)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151e (N₂)	Closed
	Opening/closing valve 151g (NH₃)	Closed

Supply System to Gas Introduction Member 12 b


	Opening/closing valve 151b (Ar)	Opened
	Opening/closing valve 151d (HF)	Closed
	Opening/closing valve 151f (N₂)	Closed
	Opening/closing valve 151h (NH₃)	Closed

In addition, the substrate processing device is not limited to the COR processing apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 as long as it is schematically configured as illustrated in FIG. 9 such that the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b are installed in a single common chamber 10 and the exhaust mechanism 15 is shared by the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b installed inside the single common chamber 10.

Further, the present disclosure is limited to the configuration of FIG. 9 where the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b are installed inside the single common chamber 10. As an example, as illustrated in FIG. 10 , the

processing parts

11 a and 11 b may be respectively installed inside

separate chambers

10 a and 10 b, and the exhaust mechanism 15 may be shared by the

separate chambers

10 a and 10 b.

While in the above embodiment, the Ar gas or the N₂gas, which is a dilution gas for diluting the processing gas such as the HF gas or the NH₃gas, is used as a supplement gas for pressure regulation, but the present disclosure is limited to thereto. As an example, the supplement gas may be another inert gas. In addition, the supplement gas for pressure regulation is not limited to the inert gas but may be a non-reactive gas which is not reactive with etching target films of processed wafers Wa and Wb. Further, a reactive gas may be used as long as it can regulate the pressure without affecting the process.

In the above embodiment, the dilution gas is used as a supplement gas for pressure regulation together with the processing gas during the substrate process. However, separately from the dilution gas used together with the processing gas, a dedicated supplement gas may be used. In this case, a dedicated supplement gas supply source, a dedicated supplement gas supply pipe and dedicated MFCs and dedicated opening/closing valves may be additionally installed in the gas supply mechanism 14.

Further, in the above embodiment, a semiconductor wafer has been described as an example of a target substrate. However, it is obvious that the target substrate is not limited to the semiconductor wafer in the principle of the present disclosure and it is to be understood that it can be applied to different various substrate processes.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the apparatus provided with the two

processing parts

11 a and 11 b as a plurality of processing parts has been described as an example, but the number of processing parts is not limited to two.

Moreover, in the above embodiment, the substrate processing device of the present disclosure has been described to be applied as the COR processing apparatus, but the substrate processing device is not limited to the COR processing apparatus.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

10, 10 a, 10 b: chamber, 11 a, 11 b: processing part, 12 a, 12 b: gas introduction member, 14: gas supply mechanism, 15: exhaust mechanism, 16: control part, 71 a, 71 b: inner wall, 101: exhaust pipe, 141: Ar gas supply source, 142: HF gas supply source, 143: N₂gas supply source, 144: NH₃gas supply source, 145, 145 a, 145 b: HF gas supply pipe, 146 a, 146 b: supply pipe, 147, 147 a, 147 b: Ar gas supply pipe, 148, 148 a, 148 b: NH₃gas supply pipe, 149, 149 a, 149 b: N₂gas supply pipe, 150 a to 150 h: mass flow controller, 151 a to 151 h: opening/closing valve

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere using a substrate processing device that includes a plurality of processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the plurality of processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner, the method comprising:

performing a first mode while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust a processing gas in common from the plurality of processing parts; and

subsequently, performing a second mode in which a first gas as the processing gas is supplied to all of the plurality of processing parts under the same gas conditions, while exhausting the processing gas from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism,

wherein, in the first mode, a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the plurality of processing parts, and

wherein, when performing the first mode,

in a portion of the plurality of processing parts, the substrate process is performed with the first gas which is the processing gas for the plurality of target substrates; and

in another portion of the plurality of processing parts, the first gas which is the processing gas for the plurality of target substrates is not supplied, a second gas is supplied as a supplement gas, and the substrate process is not performed.

2. The substrate processing method of claim 1, wherein the performing a first mode includes controlling an amount of the second gas supplied to the another portion of the plurality of processing parts so as to prevent the pressure difference from occurring between the portion of the plurality of processing parts and the another portion of the plurality of processing parts.

3. The substrate processing method of claim 1, wherein the second gas is at least one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas that is not reactive with the plurality of target substrates.

4. The substrate processing method of claim 1, wherein a dilution gas for diluting the first gas is used as the second gas.

5. The substrate processing method of claim 1, further comprising: prior to the performing a first mode, stabilizing pressures of the plurality of processing parts by regulating the pressures of the plurality of processing parts with a pressure regulating gas,

wherein the stabilizing pressures includes setting a flow rate of the pressure regulating gas to a level at which the first gas used as the processing gas and the second gas used as the supplement gas are suppressed from backwardly diffusing between the plurality of processing parts, and a flow of the pressure regulating gas toward the common exhaust mechanism is formed, in the first mode of the substrate process.

6. The substrate processing method of claim 5, wherein a portion of the first gas or the second gas supplied during the substrate process, which is not used for the substrate process, is used as the pressure regulating gas, and the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas in the stabilizing pressures is set to be larger than a flow rate of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process.

7. The substrate processing method of claim 6, wherein the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas in the stabilizing pressures is set to be three times or more the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process.

8. A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere using a substrate processing device that includes a plurality of processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the plurality of processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner, the method comprising:

performing a first mode in which an HF gas and an NH₃gas as processing gases are supplied to a portion of the plurality of processing parts so as to perform an etching process, and instead of the HF gas, an inert gas and/or a non-reactive gas which is not reactive with the plurality of target substrates is supplied to another portion of the plurality of processing parts so as not to perform the etching process, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust the processing gases from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism; and

subsequently, performing a second mode in which the HF gas and the NH₃gas as the processing gases are supplied to all of the plurality of processing parts so as to perform the etching process, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust the processing gases in common from the plurality of processing parts,

wherein, in the first mode, the supply of a mixed gas of the HF gas and the NH₃gas or a mixed gas of the inert gas and/or the non-reactive gas is performed to prevent a pressure difference from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.

9. The substrate processing method of claim 8, wherein the performing a first mode includes supplying the HF gas and the NH₃gas as the processing gases and the inert gas to the portion of the plurality of processing parts, and supplying the inert gas or the inert gas and the NH₃gas to the another portion of the plurality of processing parts,

wherein the inert gas is used as a supplement gas for regulating pressures of the portion of the plurality of processing parts and the another portion of the plurality of processing parts.

10. The substrate processing method of claim 9, further comprising: prior to the performing a first mode, stabilizing pressures of the plurality of processing parts by regulating the pressures of the plurality of processing parts with the inert gas or the inert gas and the NH₃gas as pressure regulating gases,

wherein the stabilizing pressures includes setting flow rates of the pressure regulating gases to a level at which the processing gases and the inert gas are suppressed from backwardly diffusing between the plurality of processing parts, and a flow of the pressure regulating gases toward the common exhaust mechanism is formed, in the first mode of the substrate process.

11. The substrate processing method of claim 10, wherein the flow rates of the pressure regulating gases in the stabilizing pressures are set to be larger than flow rates of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process.

12. The substrate processing method of claim 11, wherein the flow rates of the pressure regulating gases in the stabilizing pressures are set to be three times or more the flow rates used in the substrate process.